This invention relates to a clasp for releasably joining the terminal ends of jewelry items, such as a necklace, bracelet, wristwatch band and the like.
Amongst the various types of clasps for jewelry items, one category of clasps comprises a compressible tongue member slidably inserted within a generally rectangular socket member, wherein the tongue and rectangular socket member are correspondingly connected to the terminal ends of the jewelry items. U.S. Pat. No. 1,700,679, U.S. Pat. No. 1,702,360, U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,680 or GB 2 132 680 all disclose clasps for jewelry falling under this category.
One major drawback associated with clasps of the above or other category of clasps of the prior art is that they do not provide a universally acceptable mode of connection of the clasp members onto the terminal ends of the jewelry item, as is the case with U.S. Pat. No. 1,700,679 or U.S. Pat. No. 1,702,360 wherein a bracelet item is described comprising a plurality of links flexibly connected together, wherein the tongue and socket member of the clasp are made by means of suitable transformation of the terminal links of this bracelet item. Such type of clasp is however not applicable to any other type of jewelry item. On the other hand, prior art clasps may provide aesthetically and operationally unacceptable mode of connection of the clasp members to the jewelry terminals, such as by means of soldering the clasp members to the jewelry terminals, whereby an unacceptably long rigid portion is formed at the region of the clasp.
A main object of the invention is to overcome this drawback of the prior art and provide a clasp with a hook end at both the tongue and socket member thereof, wherein if the jewelry item includes ends with axial pins, an axial pin end of each one of the terminal ends of the jewelry item is encaged and rotatably connected to the hook ends of the clasp and wherein a further object of the invention is if the jewelry item does not include such an axial pin end to provide an extra connecting element which comprises an axial pin end for rotatably connecting the same to the hook ends of the clasp, whilst the same encages the terminal end of the jewelry item and is soldered therein.
A further object of the invention is to provide a clasp, which with the hook ends of both the socket and tongue member is universally connectable to all types of jewelry items, allowing advantageous rotatability of the jewelry terminal ends around the hook ends of the clasp.
A still further object of the invention is to provide the clasp for jewelry items with alternative arrangements of snapping engagement of either a raised detent onto a resilient part of the clasp tongue into a slot onto the upper surface of the clasp socket or of a slot onto the resilient part of the clasp tongue receiving a stop element of the clasp socket.
A still further object of the invention is to provide the clasp of the invention with a socket member manufactured from a single piece of sheet metal in a single cutting and punching operation, wherein this operation includes forming onto the upper surface of the socket member a pattern which resembles to the pattern of the plurality of links constituting the jewelry item.
A final object of the invention is to provide the clasp with a safety locking means to prevent accidental disengagement thereof, wherein this safety locking means comprises a wire loop rotatable around the tongue member of the clasp to lock into a side knob of the socket member thereof, whilst an end knob is fitted onto the wire loop to facilitate manually gripping and turning of the same into an unlocking position.
With these and other objects in view, the invention will hereinafter be presented in relation to illustrative embodiments.